To Serve and Protect
by Fates-Love-Queen
Summary: "I had become my own worst fear, I had become my father. I Bella Swan, was a cop." Can Bella put a tragic past behind her to help a friend in need? Can a green-eyed stranger save her from herself? Will she let him? Nom'd for best WIP Action/Drama Indies.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Twilight. ****Stephenie Meyer owns any and all Twilight characters that may appear in this story. The remainder is my original work. Copyright 2009 by Fates-Love-Queen. No copying or reproduction of this work is permitted without my express written authorization.**

**A/N: Although I have been addicted to Fan Fiction for some time, this is my first attempt at writing it (So please be nice, lol)**

**I am brand-spanking new to this, and have absolutely NO idea what I'm doing.**

**Also, I'm from Aus and it was brought to my attention that we have different spellings to certain words. **

**So a huge shout out and thankyou to kyla713, who beta'd this for me and made my words pretty and Americanised. Thanks heaps hun! : )**

**OK, I'll shut up now, I hope you enjoy : ) Thanks for taking the time to read.**

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**Bella's POV:**

"He's going to run," I said loudly to my partner, Emmett, as we watched the car in front of us slow down and veer to the left side of the road.

"No he ain't, he's just pulling over like instructed," he yelled back, so I could hear him over the siren.

I turned to look at Emmett.

"Twenty bucks says you're wrong," I said to him as the car in front continued to slow.

"You're on, baby girl," he replied, reaching over from the driver's seat to grab my hand in a shake.

No sooner had our hands pulled apart did the car in front slow to a stop. The driver flung the driver's side door open and took off on foot.

"You owe me twenty bucks, bitch," I smirked, opening my door.

Emmett was still parking the car and calling in our location when I took off on foot after the driver when I heard a frustrated 'dammit' come from out cruiser.

I couldn't help but laugh. Emmett hated to lose a bet.

I jumped the guardrail and carefully made my way down the hill; it really wouldn't help matters to fall on my ass right now…

Lucky for me, the hill lead into a large industrial area that I knew well and since it was after 10pm on a Saturday night; no one else was around.

As I walked into the parking lot of the building, I unclasped the clip on my gun holder and readied my hand over my 9mm, just in case.

I stopped and took in the area.

The air was cool and had a bite to it. I took a deep breath and could practically taste the freshness in the air. It was so refreshing and smelled like damp moss.

I would never admit it, but I loved that smell.

When I moved to Forks from Phoenix to be closer to my dad three years ago, I never thought I would get used to the dampness and freshness of the air, after living in the dry heat for so long. Now, I couldn't bear to be without it.

The area was quite well lit from the street lamps above.

I scanned the area when I heard a noise coming from the dumpsters to the right. I took out my gun and flipped the safety off while I stepped towards it. I saw a foot poking out from behind the largest Dumpster.

_I bet this guy sucks at hide and seek, _I thought to myself and couldn't help but snicker at my internal monologue; very mature Bella.

"Come out, slowly, with your hands in the air where I can see them."

After a minute, he stood and followed my instructions. I could tell he was drunk from the way he was swaying. He couldn't even stand up straight, why the hell would you think about getting behind the wheel?

I took another step toward him and noticed his eyes darting around trying to find an exit.

After a second, he took off to the left.

"STOP, POLICE!" I yelled as I took after him.

Luckily for me, he was slow.

I may not be the most coordinated person on the planet, but I'm a fast runner when the need arises. Whether it be chasing after a perp, or being chased around a pond by a psychotic duck.

Hey, long story, but it happened…

I tackled him to the ground and placed my knee firmly in his lower back.

"Put your hands behind your head and don't move."

He groaned and followed my instructions and I cuffed him.

I pulled him to his feet and frisked him, checking his pockets for weapons but also for some ID.

"Oh yeah, a little to the left. Damn baby, if you wanted my dick, all you had to do was ask," he groaned.

I rolled my eyes and opened his wallet.

"Sorry, Walter, I don't get out of bed for anything less than six inches, and by the looks of things, I doubt you're even packing four…"

"Oh, what a dirty mouth little slut. I'd love that pretty little mouth of yours around my cock. I'm probably bigger than you can handle baby," he slurred.

Yeah right, like I hadn't heard that one before…

Typical, drunken ass.

I walked up to him and grabbed his crotch in my hands, hard.

"Listen you little limp dick mother fucker, let's two things straight. One, I'm not your baby," I said, and he whimpered as I tightened my grip around his manhood.

"And two, if you know what's good for you and your balls, you will shut your fucking mouth and respect me, got it?"

His yes came out in a wheeze. I let go of his crotch ad he fell to the ground in the fetal position gasping.

"Damn B, remind me never to get on your bad side," Emmett chuckled as he leaned up against the hood of the cruiser, clearly amused.

"Ha-ha, Em. Can you read him his rights for me while I call it in? I've had enough of his drunken antics and rancid breath."

"Sure thing, _baby…_" He drawled.

I shot him a death glare and he bellowed out a laugh as he walked over to the idiot drunk.

"Em, you're my best friend and I love you, but call me baby one more time and I'll drop you on your ass." I said as I entered the drunk's details into the system.

Em paused reading the man his rights to chuckle and wink in my direction.

Not surprisingly, the drunk had two priors for DUI and was driving with a suspended licence.

Scum like him were the reason I got out of bed in the mornings.

What if it hadn't have been our cruiser that the dumb shit nearly sideswiped while running a red light?

What if it had have been a mini-van with a mother and three kids?

Yes, this is the reason I had become my own worst fear, to put insects like the man in cuffs in front of me behind bars, to keep him from hurting others.

That's right, I had become my father.

I, Bella Swan, was a cop.

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**I'd LOVE to know what you thought! What do you make of Cop Bella? Love her? Hate her?**

**Reviews are much appreciated, I read each and every one, they really do brighten my day.**

**I know, the first chapter is short, I just wanted to introduce the story and a bit of Bella's character. **

**The chapters should get longer as we go.**

**So, thankyou for reading, and don't forget... REVIEW PLEASE! Ta : )**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Twilight. ****Stephenie Meyer owns any and all Twilight characters that may appear in this story. The remainder is my original work. Copyright 2009 by Fates-Love-Queen. No copying or reproduction of this work is permitted without my express written authorization.**

**A/N: I am not a Police Officer, nor do I pretend to know much of what they do everyday, so I'm just going with what sounds right with regards to this story. ****I apologise and I do not mean any disrespect to any real law enforcement officers out there. This is fiction : )**

**This story will be dealing with some 'darker', storylines, so if you are not of mature age, please stop reading. Rated M for a reason in later chapters.**

**Thanks again to kyla713 for offering to beta this chapter for me. She makes my words look pretty and Americanised! If you haven't read her stories, do yourself a favour and read them, they are amazing!**

**Hope you enjoy : )**

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**Bella's POV:**

Emmett and I rode in companionable silence back to the station, with a very loud snoring Casanova riding in the back.

We put him in the cells and entered him in the system.

My dad, Charlie, liked to do the majority of the paperwork regarding court appearances and what not himself and that was just fine with me; I hated doing the shit.

Leaving the station, I was quietly confident that with drunk Casanova's priors, he would be off the streets for a while. I couldn't help the smile that came to my face at that thought as I slid into my truck to drive home at the end of the shift.

It was my turn to drive home tonight, and Emmett smiled as he jumped in the passenger side of my truck.

"Man B, you sure love your junk food. You know it's going to give you a heart attack right? Even I don't eat this much crap," he muttered as he shoved a stack of McDonald's and KFC wrappers on the floor.

"Hey, shut it, or I'll make your ass walk home."

He chuckled as I put the truck into gear and started the familiar drive to Em's place.

As we only lived a few streets from each other, we found it cheaper to car pool everyday. That way we could take turns at driving to and from work and save gas, as we left the cruiser at the station for who ever was on.

It was nearly midnight when I pulled into his driveway. I knew everyone would be asleep but Rose always left the porch light on for him.

"You wanna come in for a beer?"

"Nah, I'm good. I'm tired so I'm going to head on home. Thanks anyway, Em."

"Alright, no worries. Rose said to let you know she'll call you tomorrow," he said with an eye roll.

"Night, B."

He gave me a hug and headed up the steps to the house.

"Night, Em," I said quietly as I pulled out of his drive and headed for home.

Emmett and I became friends at the Academy when we both found out that we would be working at the Forks Police Department, and been friends and partner's ever since. The distance thing was hard for his wife Rosalie, so I guess she found it comforting that he had someone at the Academy to look out for him.

She still doesn't know half the shit we got up too on the weekends.

I was thankful to be treated as just 'one of the guys' at the Academy after I proved I could hold more alcohol than most of them, despite my small frame.

What they didn't know was that I had been drinking every night since that fateful day when I was nineteen.

Charlie finally put his foot down and said that he wouldn't watch me 'drink myself to the grave' and demanded that I either 'get professional help' or stop myself. So the Academy was my 'rehab', so to speak. But whatever, the drinking earned me respect with the guys, so meh.

"Shit," I muttered to myself, getting out of my truck when I realised that I had forgotten to leave the front light on, _again…_

I fumbled with my keys and managed to get them into the door and letting myself in.

I turned on the kitchen light and tossed my keys on the hall table.

_Home sweet home_.

My place wasn't big, but it was one of the only things in my life that I could call _mine_.

When I first moved to Forks, I had moved into my old room at my dad's house. However, when I arrived home after the Academy, I insisted on moving into my own place.

Living with your dad is fine, but working with _and_ living with Charlie was a bit much, and he agreed.

We went 'house hunting' for about two weeks when we found this one, and I knew it was home. It was a little two-bedroom, two-story house that was comfy without being flashy.

It had a decent sized kitchen (not that I cooked much anymore, but still), a decent sized lounge-room, and two bathrooms. All it needed was a new paint job and some furniture. Charlie helped me with the deposit and some furniture and he, Em and Rose had helped me paint. I went for light brown walls to reflect the wooden floors and yellow for the bathrooms to match the speckled tiles.

It was warm and perfect, my sanctuary.

I trudged upstairs to my room and threw on a comfy pair of sweats and old holey t-shirt, and put my uniform in the hamper.

I was tired but still 'wired' from work so I went back downstairs to get something to eat.

I opened the refrigerator door and looked at my choices.

Hmm, left over pizza and beer, or left over Chinese and beer… Decisions, decisions… I decided on the pizza, leaving it cold, grabbed a beer and headed for the living room and flicked the television on.

"Wow, what a selection," I grumbled as I flicked through the channels sipping my beer. I could either watch commercials on 'How to get a body-builders body in just 7 days' or 'Pay 200 bucks for a face cream that instead of preventing acne, probably caused it' _or _I could watch old 'Baywatch' re-runs.

"Baywatch it is," I said with a sigh.

I sat in front of the flat-screen watching chicks in red bathing suits, which cut too high up on the crotch if you ask me. How could that even be comfortable?

It looked more like vaginal floss than an actual swim suit…

I continued to watch every man's fantasy run down the beach when it hit me.

I am exactly like my father in more ways than one…

Drinking beer and eating in front of the flat-screen every night? And more importantly, I was alone.

_God, when did you become so melodramatic? You chose to live this shell of a life, remember? Suck it up Swan!_

Yes, I was alone, and that's how I preferred it.

The fewer people I knew, the better; less chance of disappointing, failing or getting hurt that way.

It may not be ideal, but this was my life and this is how I coped.

I may be alone, but at least my life had a purpose.

I was no longer the weak, helpless girl I had been all those years ago...

Now I was tough, hardened. I could more than take care of myself now.

My purpose in life was to put the scum that lurked on street corners behind bars so that they couldn't hurt anyone else.

To catch as many of the bastards I could to make the world that little bit safer; that was my purpose.

People may call me shit behind my back; a bitch, tomboy, loner, hard-ass… Whatever, let them. I'd heard them all before, but at least I could say that I knew who I was and what I had to do to make sure I never got hurt again.

I put my beer on the coffee table, put my feet up and rested my head on a pillow, watching the sand and water on the screen, before fading into the blackness.

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**Reviews are much appreciated, I read each and every one, they really do brighten my day.**

**So, what did you think? Are you liking the Emmett and Bella partnership?**

**What do you think of the hardened, smart-arse Bella? Is she just like Charlie?**

**Thankyou for reading, and don't forget... REVIEW PLEASE! Ta : )**


	3. Chapter 3

**WARNING, PLEASE READ! This is not a fluffy bunny and rainbow story, it has a DARK storyline and deals with some very dark and sensitive issues. If you are not of mature age or dark stories aren't you thing, PLEASE DO NOT READ. Don't say I didn't warn you...**

**This story is now officially Rated M. Not so much for this chapter, but very soon...**

**I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year!**

**Sorry this story has taken me a while, Copella was being frustratingly silent.**

**Thank you as always, to my wonderful superbeta kyla713. She makes my words look pretty and Americanised! If you haven't read her stories, do yourself a favour and read them, they are amazing! (In fact, I wish I was in NY right now with a certain "_Grneyeddoc1981"!)_**

**A/N: I am not a Police Officer, nor do I pretend to know much of what they do everyday, so I'm just going with what sounds right with regards to this story. ****I apologise and I do not mean any disrespect to any real law enforcement officers out there. This is fiction : )**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Twilight. ****Stephenie Meyer owns any and all Twilight characters that may appear in this story. The remainder is my original work. Copyright 2009 by Fates-Love-Queen. No copying or reproduction of this work is permitted without my express written authorization.**

**Hope you enjoy : )**

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**Bella's POV:**

It was a perfect day. The sun was shining high in the sky, warming me from the outside in. I closed my eyes and sighed in content as I tried to absorb as much of it as I could.

"Bella, honey, did you find those tomatoes?"

I smiled as I turned to see my mother's head hanging out of our kitchen window looking at me.

"I've got them. I'll be there in one minute."

She smiled and pulled her head back inside, fixing the curtains that had parted.

I picked up three of the ripe tomatoes from our garden and walked back in to the kitchen.

"Here they are," I said, handing them over to her.

"Oh, these are perfect, they will make the best sauce!" she replied, a large grin forming on her face.

For as long as I could remember, my mom and I had always cooked together. It was our 'thing'.

"What can I do?" I asked.

"Ah, you can dice the chicken if you'd like? Just grab one of those big knives from the second drawer."

I nodded my head and smiled at her, as I pulled open the drawer and took a large knife.

But when I turned around to ask her where the chicken was, she was gone…

I felt something wet running down my hand and gasped when I looked down.

The knife was covered in blood.

I watched it trickle down my fingers to form a small pool on the floor.

When I looked up again, I was no longer in our kitchen, or in our house for that matter.

I had no idea where I was and it was eerily quiet.

I took a step forward and heard the breaking of plastic under my feet; a broken coat hanger…

"Mom?" I called out.

I heard a strange gurgling sound behind me and turned around to locate the source.

It was my mom…

She was lying on the floor in a large pool of blood, gasping for breath.

"Mom!" I cried, dropping the knife and fell to the floor.

There was so much blood; it was everywhere.

It was on my hands, on my shoes and I could feel it seeping through the denim of my jeans.

I clutched her to me, and begged her to stay with me, but it wasn't enough.

As I looked down at her, I watched the light slowly fade from her eyes and she went limp in my arms.

"Mom, no!" I cried as I shook her. "_Mom_!"

"Bells, can you hear me? Wake up, honey!"

I was suddenly aware of large, strong hands around my shoulders.

_No, not him!_

I quickly reached for my gun behind me and pointed it in the direction of the hands.

"Whoa! Easy Bells, it's me… Calm down."

_I know that voice…_

I opened my eyes and squinted, as it was really fucking bright, but as my eyes quickly adjusted, I saw two russet-skinned hands held up in front of me in surrender.

"Jake?"

"Yeah it's me, so can you please take the gun out of my face?"

I mumbled an apology and pulled my gun back, flicking the safety back on and placing it under the pillow beneath me.

Looking around, I realised that I was in the lounge room – I must have fallen asleep on the couch the night before…

"What the fuck are you _doing_ here, Jake?" I asked him, running my hand through the knotted haystack that was my hair.

"Well, it's nice to see you, too," he muttered.

"You didn't answer my question…"

"Dad wanted me to run these new lures up for Charlie, and I thought I'd pop by on my way to work. But when I got out of the car I heard screaming, so I rushed in to see that you were okay."

"Ever heard of fucking knocking, Jake? Wait, how _did_ you get in by the way, come down the chimney? A little early aren't ya, big guy?"

"No, I used your spare key from under the eave," he shrugged.

I gaped at him.

"Oh please, everyone knows it's there. You know for a cop, you aren't very safety conscious," he scolded.

"I could arrest you for breaking and entering," I threatened.

"Ooh, I love it when you talk dirty. I know you're _dying_ to get me in cuffs," he laughed.

He stopped when he realised I wasn't laughing with him and sighed.

"You could just say thank you," he said, as he leaned forward and wiped at my cheek.

I wasn't even aware that I had been crying…

"Another nightmare?" he asked softly.

"I'm fine."

I smacked his hand away, grabbed my trash on the table from the night before and walked in to the kitchen.

"Bells, you're _not_ fine. You were screaming for your mom at the top of your lungs."

"I said I'm fine, Jake. Just fucking drop it!" I yelled, as I threw the pizza box in the trashcan.

I heard his footsteps as he walked in to the kitchen and stood across from me, crossing his arms.

"I'm not an idiot, Bella, so don't treat me like one. You don't have to play this tough, macho act with me because I know you like the back of my hand and see straight through you. We have been friends way too long for that. You may be a bad ass now, but you still can't lie for shit," he said, smirking at me.

I couldn't help but laugh; trust Jake to call me out on my bullshit.

He was right, though; he was my oldest friend. And apart from Em and Rose, he was also the only one I had.

I met Jake the first summer break that I returned to Forks when I was twelve.

Dad usually came out to Phoenix to visit me, but that year he couldn't get the time off. I really wanted to see him, so I came here to visit him.

Charlie and Jake's dad, Billy, had been best friends for as long as I could remember.

One weekend, when Billy came up to watch a game with Charlie, he brought Jake with him. He was only one year younger than I was, and we connected instantly.

We were pretty much inseparable from that day on.

I came to Forks every summer after that, and when I wasn't there, we would write letters to each other or talk on the phone at least once a week.

I knew both of our dads had hopes of us getting together, and we did try it once when we were sixteen, but it was like kissing a sibling. We both pulled away disgusted and mutually agreed that we just stay best friends.

"I'm sorry Jake, it's just… between the dream and you freaking me the fuck out, I'm in a shitty mood," I sighed. "I hate those dreams, being taken back there against my will… I feel this overwhelming guilt every single time. I miss her so much! I should have done more Jake, it was my fucking fault!"

He stepped forward and enveloped me in his huge arms.

I immediately stiffened out of habit, but relaxed almost instantly as his familiar scent washed over me.

"It wasn't your fault Bells, no one could have known that would happen. You did nothing wrong, sweetheart," he said as he stroked my hair.

"But if I had just made her stay home," I sobbed.

Jake was the one and only person that I could completely let down my defences with. To let out the scared, insecure and fragile nineteen-year-old girl buried so deep inside that most of the time, she disappeared and ceased to exist.

"Don't do that. You can drown yourself in the 'what ifs' but it won't get you anywhere or change anything. All it does it put more guilt on you that shouldn't even be there in the first place."

I heard what he was saying but knew it wasn't true, so I just nodded.

He wasn't there, he didn't see…

I still had not told a single soul what happened that day, not even Jake.

I couldn't.

It was my burden to carry and my sins to live with.

No matter how you looked at it, the blood of more than one person's blood was on my hands…

I was a killer.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Jake held me for what felt like hours, letting the girl inside me cry herself out.

When I had no more tears to shed, I pulled away and kissed him on the cheek.

"You better get to work, Jake. You'll be late."

"Well, I do have a legitimate excuse. Work can't say shit when you say you were with the police all morning…"

"Go on, get out," I laughed as I swatted his backside.

"Alright, I'm going!"

"You sure you'll be ok?" he said as he turned around in the doorway to face me.

"I'll be fine."

He scrutinised my face for a moment before a small smile appeared.

"Well, you know where to contact me if you ever need anything. Day or night, I don't care."

"I know. Thanks Jake, for everything. You have no idea how important you are to me," I said as I leaned in once more to hug him goodbye.

"Ditto. Alright, enjoy your day, officer!" he said as he ran to his car and I scowled.

He knew I hated being called that.

I waved goodbye and went back in to the house to hear the phone ringing.

"Hello?"

"Morning honey, how are you!"

I smiled at her affection.

"Hey Rose. I'm alright, how about you? Is Em still asleep?

"You know it. When does Emmett _ever_ get out of bed before midday?" she replied and we both laughed. "So, are you still coming to our place for dinner tonight?"

I rolled my eyes.

If Emmett and I weren't working, I went to their place for dinner every Saturday night. I mean, it wasn't as if I had anything better to do anyway, and it was the one night a week that I actually ate _real_ food.

"Of course, I'll be there, Rose. Six o'clock okay?"

"Six will be fine. Oh, we're having another guest, too. I hope you don't mind?"

"Rose, I…"

"Bella, it's not like that. It's just someone that I'd like you to meet," she said cutting me off.

"Fine, I'll see you at six," I sighed.

"See you then, mwah!"

I couldn't help but laugh as I hung up the phone; that was how Rose ended every conversation with me.

It had become my weapon.

Every time Em pissed me off, I would simply say that his wife wanted me more than she did him.

He would always growl and get mad, but at least it shut him up.

With a sigh, I looked around the house trying to find something to do to fill the time.

This was the one part of my life I hated, the loneliness.

If I had it my way, I'd work everyday, but unfortunately my dad was the one who did the rosters.

I flicked on the television as I sunk in to the couch, silently praying that would be a movie or _something_ to pass the time.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Knowing that I needed to get gas for my car, I left home at five.

I knew Rose would be pissed, but there was no way I was dressing up for dinner.

I opted for my jeans, chucks, a long sleeved tee and a flannel button up shirt.

I dressed for comfort, not flattery.

There was absolutely _nothing_ on TV, so I spent my day doing laundry, scrubbing the already immaculate bathroom and color co-ordinating my linen.

Hey, when you're bored, you'll do _anything_…

As I pulled up at the gas station, the rain was pouring down. I could barely see out of my front windshield.

Fortunately, it was pretty quiet, so I got a spot quickly.

While I was waiting, I noticed a car pull in and park in front of the store.

I literally growled.

What kind of _idiot_ drives around in this weather with no taillights!

I jumped out of my car, pulled my jacket over my head and ran to where the car was parked.

I expected the plates to be from outer state, but to my surprise, they were local.

There was no excuse.

I probably sound a little anal, but when you can't see more than a couple of inches in front of your car, taillights are fucking _essential_!

This dick was going to cause an accident.

I knew I was off duty, but it was still my responsibility.

Grinding my teeth, I walked to the driver's side and knocked on the window.

The windows were tinted, but I saw the figure jump in surprise.

_Hurry up, I'm getting drenched here asshole!_

I was about punch a hole through the glass and open it myself, when finally the window lowered.

And for the first time in a _long_ time, I was fucking speechless.

I may be a vegetarian, but I knew a top piece of meat when I saw one.

My mouth was literally watering from hunger.

"Is there something that I can help you with?"

I heard him speak but I didn't actually hear what he said.

After a minute of silence, and him probably wondering if I was a nut case, he arched a perfect eyebrow at me.

"Ah, your, um, taillights are out."

_Jesus Swan, since when do you turn in to a stuttering mess over a guy?_

"Oh, really?" he asked.

"Mmmhmm."

He reached for the door handle and I moved backwards as he stepped out of the car and moved to the back of the car.

In this light, I could see him much better.

He was tall, and appeared to be thin but lean.

If you had a list of features you wanted in a man, he had them all…

Chiselled jaw? _Check._

Perfect lips? _Check._

Velvet voice? _Check._

Nice eyes? _Double check_.

His eyes were green, but it wasn't the color that got me, it was how expressive they were. The kind of eyes that have seen and experienced things that I've only ever dreamt of. I felt I could see through to his very soul in them.

"They are too. Shit," he said, as he ran his hands through his hair.

_Oh god, the hair._

The light gave of a bronze coloring, and it was in perfect disarray.

It was currently wet from the rain and he appeared as if he'd just finished shooting a shampoo commercial.

I wanted to run my hands through and tug on it in while we were in all sorts of compromising positions…

_Whoa, where the fuck did __**that**__ come from?!_

I instantly felt my cheeks flush and looked away, completely mortified at my porn star internal monologue.

"Well, I just thought you should know. Weather gets pretty bad here, and it could be dangerous. For you _and_ others," I said still looking at the ground.

"Yeah it is, thanks for letting me know. It wasn't intentional, believe me."

After a moment of silence, I looked up to find him staring at me.

_Oh god, I hope I got rid of all the toothpaste from my face before I left home!_

"Well, it was nice meeting you, bye."

I heard him asking me to wait, but I ignored him and kept moving until I was back safely in my car.

Having already paid, I started the car and drove out. From the corner of my eye, I could see him still standing in the rain behind his car.

When I pulled up at Em's house, I stopped the car and pulled down the visor to look in the mirror.

Thank god, there was no toothpaste there.

I took a moment to calm myself down before entering the house.

What the hell was wrong with me back there?

I knew better than this.

I couldn't afford to show weakness or let people in. My heart had been broken enough.

Besides, no one would want this soul; it was tainted.

This was my burden, and I refused to drag anyone else down with me.

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**A/N: Hope you enjoyed it! Any ideas what's happening with Bella, or who the dinner guest is? ; )**

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**There are lots of categories, so go here to vote for your favourites on the Jan 18th: www(dot)theindietwificawards(dot)com**

**You can also nominate me for the "Love Conquers All" One Shot and Novella categories if you enjoyed my Leah O/S or my A Secret Love story, if you'd like too : )**

**Feedback means a _lot_ to writer's who dedicate their time to provide a story, so make sure to please hit that green button if you enjoyed this. I read and respond to each and every review, they really do brighten my day. ; )**

**Thanks for reading, much love. XoX**


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